'Password' No Longer Worst Password

The security firm SplashData publishes its list of the 25 worst passwords of 2013.

Thanks to the Adobe security breach last year, which exposed the IDs and encrypted passwords for 38 million Adobe.com users, we now know that the most commonly used password on the Internet is "123456."

As such, SplashData, a computer security firm that makes password management apps, recognized "123456" as the "Worst Password of 2013." The company says its list of the 25 worst passwords is based on the frequency of passwords found online as a result of disclosures -- largely but not exclusively from the Adobe incident. The ease with which these passwords could be cracked using brute-force methods is not taken into account.

A two-time runner-up, "123456" has dethroned "password," a local favorite due to its jaw-dropping obviousness and its always amusing self-referential nature. It slipped only to No. 2 on the list and could regain the top spot if consumer disinterest in security continues this year, as it has for decades. Computer buyers have neglected security more or less since personal computers became popular in the 1980s.

Bad passwords aren't going anywhere until the password itself is phased out. You can be sure that if I am logging into a small-time website that is just for fun or a quick look at an article I will not be tapping credentials from my more secure list of passwords. Nor will I bother creating new complicated ones. In fact, I appreciate this list for providing me with more throw away ideas. 12345678, get ready for me.